little red fox

a perfectly perfect roasted chicken

This is another thing for which we have Thomas Keller to thank. I'd also love to thank him for the mind-and-belly altering meal that was elegant, weird, bizarre and wacky all at the same time that we had the night we got engaged at The French Laundry in Napa Valley. It was pretty unreal. 

But this is also pretty wonderful. And a bit more accessible :)

A ladyfriend pointed me towards this recipe when we were trying to decide what to make ourselves for dinner one night. We were pretty sure it knocked our socks off but there was a lot of champagne happening that night and most everything we said and did seemed pretty magical that night. So I made it a week later when Mr. Wood got back from his trip and it was confirmed--this is utterly wonderful and beautifully simple. 

Everyone loves a roasted chicken and I feel like I've heard as many "secrets" to the perfect one as people who have made one. I've heard smothering it in mayonnaise is the only way to a crispy skin; I've heard that you have to stuff it with xy&z for it to be flavorful; and on and on. I think all those are good--but this one--this is the best one I've ever had. That is a true statement. And you do so little. The secret seems to be just raining generous amounts of salt inside and out and cooking it in dry heat at 400 degrees. I thought it was so strange that you cook it at such a high temperature for so long and it doesn't dry out--but I swear, yall--it doesn't. It's actually a moment of kitchen magic because it is so. Moist. I will say that last time we broiled it for a few minutes once it was done baking to get a richer color and a crispier skin.

He suggests you slather it with unsalted butter so we did that this time. Twist my arm. It's also totally delicious without.  

I've made this once a week for the last month and it's been basically the same: this gorgeous roasted organic chicken with quality dijon on the side for dipping, and a lemon and olive-oil arugula salad. Sometimes we'll have a quinoa something-or-other on the side and this time we had Spicy Cumin Roasted Carrots (cumin, cayenne and olive oil) but you really don't need it. This juicy chicken only needs a bright, peppery salad for the meal to feel complete. Once we're done eating, we strip the rest of the meat for sandwiches and salads during the week and make a stock from the bones. And out of that, a soup later in the week (usually of the bean variety but most recently of the cauliflower variety). I'm not prone to routines of any kind--in that I have almost never ever in my life had one--but this has been so nice having such a productive, easy, fairly inexpensive regular event in our week. Plus you feel like you're in your very own french bistro which is a feeling I can get used to. 

Are you sold or what?? The recipe is here--don't skip the trussing part! He does a good job explaining it and it seems to really make a big difference.  

think a gatsby spring: more items in the shop!

 

 

 

 

 All these pretty little items and more in my shop What Mimi Wore now!  

I can see those shoes with both the outifits here in the post...Those white oxfords with no socks and rolled-up chinos and the oversized cardigan? Adorable.

Can you see how excited I am for some officially warm weather?? 

I tend to get fired up and think of each season in thematic terms: I like to think of spring/summer in a certain color palate and theme. This spring and summer is gearing towards chorewear (as in this recent post) combined with a Gatsby theme, all in my favorite color combos of a pale green, black and ivory, an orangey-red, and bright red. I've been way into this palate for a long time but it just sings for me, what can I say. 

More to come on all this in the next few days. So far I've made drawings, bought vintage patterns and am on the hunt for fabrics for my spring/summer wardrobe...too bad I don't get paid to do all this :)

***

On a different note...I mentioned before that I've been experimenting with gluten-free recipes for both health and fun. One of my sources for some of these goodies is The Queen of Quinoa. I made her pumpking quinoa muffins the other day--a double batch, in fact--and they are truly delicious. So moist and rich, not terribly sweet, and heavenly toasted with a little bit of honey and butter. 

I mean look at this--what could you be missing? 

These have also made me fall in love with pumpkin. Its incredibly good for you--low in sugar and calories but high in fiber and vitamins. Been thinking about other pumpking possibilities...

You can find her recipe here. 

 

spicy cauliflower soup via alice waters

Love this book. It's so up my alley. It was a gift--a very thoughtful gift--from my sister-in-law a few years ago and the yesterday it occurred to me that I haven't given it enough kitchen-time. We had some cauliflower that needed to be eaten so I looked in the index under cauliflower and found this soup which seemed perfect. Even though this has been the mildest winter ever up here which makes me so happy I want to write a musical about it, it is still winter and winter requires soups. 

For this one you start by sauteeing up cumin seeds, cardamom seeds, red chili flakes and turmeric in olive oil with onions and a carrot and, you get this dark red almost paste-like base for the soup. I have a habit of doing essentially the same thing over and over to start soups so it was so refreshing to do something different. Plus the house smelled amazing and for me that's when the meal starts. 

Her recipe calls for one large head of cauliflower but I only had 2/3 of one left so instead used a large parsnip to fill it out. 

But the best part was that I had made homemade chicken stock a few days before. The recipe calls for basically 6 cups of liquid--so 4 of this was my stock, which, if you can do it, is more than worth the trouble. I like this recipe but do like 1/25 of the amount she does (??). 

I also used my beloved stick-blender to get a smooth consistency, though she only called for aggressive stirring to break up the softened cauliflower. I just love a blended soup. If you prefer a more textured soup, a whisk or a stir would leave you with a chunkier version which would be nice too. Diff'rent strokes. 

I roasted up some pumpkin seeds in cayenne, turmeric and liquid aminos to sprinkle on top. You could easily substitute soy or tamari for the liquid aminos to similar effect. 

The salad was yummy--just greens with a spicy paprika vinaigrette. But again--instead of doing my usual garlic dijon vinaigrette routine--I thought the smokiness and sweetness of the paprika would go nicely with the spices in the soup. It did and it was oh-so pleasant with a reisling we had left over from a curry dinner. We don't often have wine left over but this was one was very...multi-dimensional? and needed an equally bouncy dinner to go with it so the two held hands beautifully. I also didn't have any of the garnishes she mentions on hand but I'd be curious to see how they tasted with the soup. Yogurt isn't something I'm dying to eat a lot of in general.

This is the recipe exactly as it appears in her book The Art of Simple Food.

ALICE WATERS' SPICY CAULIFLOWER SOUP
Makes 2 quarts; 4 to 6 servings

Heat, in a heavy-bottomed soup pot: 

1/4c olive oil 

Add and cook, stirring often, over medium heat;

1 onion, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp dried chile flakes
salt
fresh ground black pepper

When very soft but not browned, add:

6 cilantro sprigs, coarsely chopped
1 lg head cauliflower, trimmed of green leaves and coarsely chopped (about 6 cups)
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups water

Raise the heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the cauliflower is very tender, about 30 minutes. Stir vigorously with a spoon or whisk to coarsely puree the soup. You may need to add more broth or water to thin the soup if it is too thick. Taste, adust the seasoning if necessary, and serve hot.

Garnish each serving with:

Yogurt
Chopped cilantro or mint
A squeeze of lime juice

Variations: For a richer soup, use all chicken broth. For a lighter, vegetarian soup, use all water.  

 

don't be scared: gluten-free and (almost) vegan pizza that will blow your mind

Stick with me here. 

I need to say that while I lovelovelove to eat healthy and am always open to trying a new food or trend, healthy or otherwise--I am not a vegan nor am I gluten-intolerant (necessarily). I understand that veganism makes the most sense for some people, but it does not for me. I am, before anything else, a person who loves to eat and try new things and when going to a new place I will always ALWAYS participate in and embrace the culture/food first. My preferences come second. But that's just me.

That said--we kinda eat vegan at home. I'll go days before I realize I haven't had any dairy or meat. I think we both prefer vegetables for one, have gotten used to feeling healthy and lighter, plus beans are my favorite food :) And if you're not clear why lots of people who are not necessarily intolerant of wheat products are going gluten-free, you can start here. It's a good thing to avoid when you can, and plus new experiments can always provide kitchen fun! 

So the night before last I had seen this recipe for a kind of 'flat bread' made out of garbanzo bean flour. So we gave it a whirl as an experiment with our dinner that night and loved it. It's a great recipe because its simple and seemed really versatile. Being round and flat, it had a pizza-like appearance, so I figured I could do some riffing and a couple of adjustments and make it even more pizza-like. 

So that was my goal last night. I saw this recipe over on The Queen of Quinoa and it looked yummy beyond yummy. I didn't have quinoa flour and wanted to use what I had on hand so I riffed on her recipe and came up with my own with a mix of both millet flour, garbanzo bean flour and brown rice flour and a couple of other additions and it was--no kidding--ridiculous.

In fact, it went exactly like this:

 

Mr. Wood: (about to sit down with his plate) I mean, let's face it, nothing will ever be as good as a real dough, margerita pizza with red sauce and cheese.

Me: True. But let's just think about this as something different than pizza--maybe just a kind of healthy salad-type thing to eat during the week. 

Mr. Wood: Totally. I'm excited about it I'm just saying...

We dig in and eat in silence for a few minutes. 

Mr. Wood: (a bit wild-eyed) I mean I might never have to have real pizza ever again!

 

I made two crusts so we would have left-overs for lunch today and he basically polished it off!

So, yes. Obviously we will be having real pizza many more times in our lives and this is different than your 'normal' pizza, but--its a total hit with both of us. Not to mention you get an energy burst after you eat and no heavy leadbelly feeling.

I will say it was a lot of trouble. We used every saute pan in the house, plus a cast-iron skillet, a glass pie pan and a bunch of mixing bowls. But you could eliminate some of the toppings to simplify. I do think that one of the keys to this is flavoring every level, so that even the arugula is loaded with wonderful, bright flavor. 

And if the avocado substitution is a new thing for you, a more traditional pesto would also be delicious but--as The Queen of Quinoa says--the decadent creaminess of the avocado is unbeatable and gives a textural reminder of the cheese. And its flavored with Italian flavors so it actually made perfect sense. It really was even better than I expected it to be. Part of it had to be the golden brown crispiness that is the crust--I mean, look at this...

I like a browned, crispy crust on a regular pizza and this seems somehow fool-proof so far.

We topped ours with grilled chicken (which was left over from the night before), caramelized onions, fresh garlic, sauteed mushrooms and zucchini (sauteed with garlic and red pepper flakes), sliced fresh jalapeno, Italian avocado pesto/spread (which you can find here), arugula salad tossed with homemade Italian dressing, more red pepper flakes and a pink Himilayan salt just for fun.

Recipes for the two types of crust and homemade Italian dressing below with many indebted thanks (once again) to the original pizza crust recipe from The Queen of Quinoa :)

 

 

ROSEMARY BROWN RICE GARBANZO BEAN PIZZA CRUST

1/2c Garbanzo Bean Flour
1/2c Brown Rice Flour
1-1 1/4c filtered water
1tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2tsp-1tsp agave nectar 
1 tsp dried or fresh rosemary
1 tsp salt
2 TBS olive oil 

     Preheat the oven to 450. In a mixing bowl, combine the flours and the salt and whisk in the water 1/4 cup at a time until you have a batter not unlike the consistency of pancake batter. Add the vinegar and agave and whisk in to combine well. 

     Pour the olive oil and rosemary into a cast iron skillet (my first choice) or a glass pie pan or any other oven-safe skillet or pan and swirl around to coat the bottom. Put in the oven to heat a few minutes, then remove, pour the batter into the hot oil and rosemary and then put back in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the sides are browned and pulled away from the sides somewhat.

     Top with the avocado pesto and the rest of your toppings, slice and enjoy! 

 

BLACK PEPPER, MILLET FLOUR AND GARBANZO BEAN FLOUR PIZZA CRUST

2/3c Garbanzo Bean Flour
1/3c Millet Flour
1 tsp (or more) fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 TBS (or so) olive oil

(Recipe the same as above, adding the pepper with salt. Rosemary optional.)

 

 

Homemade Italian Dressing

1/2c olive oil
1 TBS red wine vinegar
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 healthy pinch Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 TBS chopped fresh parsley
squeeze of 1/4 lemon (optional)

Whisk all the ingredients except the parsley together, then stir in the parsley.

• I used a TBS or two of this Italian dressing to flavor the avocado spread, by the way.
• Other ingredients and toppings I intend to try is a sundried tomato pesto or some type of artichoke pesto?? Need to research some ideas but that could be really yummy.
• Eggplant? Some type of capponata? Black olives? Obviously tons of possibilites :) Let me know if you have some other brilliant ideas! We'll be needing them since we decided this is a definite easy week-night go-to.  

pickle it!

Are you watching Portlandia? If you aren't, please consider it. It's hysterical and weird and smart and they are no doubt making as much fun of you as they are of me. I find myself laughing at them and realizing at the same time that I've said/done/thought the exact same thing with equal vehemence and far less self-awareness. It's a good thing (she says desperately)! 

Anyway--if you are watching it--once again I am laughing at myself but only after realizing which particular cultural kool-aid I had sipped. In this case--the pickling phenomenon. (It's a really funny sketch, btw.) I don't love pickles in general because I'm a little creeped out by soggy vegetables. But obviously its popular, and healthy, and a great way to use vegetables you bought but won't be able to eat in time. However, the true story is that the other day we went out to lunch and on Mr. Wood's plate were some really pretty pickled carrots and that's why I wanted to make them. Because they were pretty.

Sometimes when I am having a hard-ish time or feeling a little blue, I get up in the kitchen and have at it. If I was feeling cute, I might call it Kitchen Therapy. Either way I am having such a time and yesterday I got down and dirty in there and made 5 quarts of vegetable stock to freeze (riffing wildly off this recipe), a huge pot of black eyed peas (also to freeze after using them in tacos for last night's dinner), a pint of Ginger Miso Dressing to use over steamed greens and salads, grinding up flax and chia seeds, made these carrots, and also raw pickled ginger for sushi this week. Exercised some demons and a full freezer to boot!

For the carrots, I ended up using this recipe as a base and omitted the anise and dill seeds and instead added peppercorns and whole hot chilis and more garlic than he used. Only two days into the pickling process and they are YUMMY. And an excellent little plate accessory. I like that they have a little crunch still. 

And yes, they are also very pretty :) 

 

first things first

The happiest of all happy New Years to You! I hope you had a fun one. I love New Years--perhaps I just have a reasonably low bar for what I expect but I enjoy the turning of one year into another and marking it with yelling and champagne and kisses. Seems right to me. So we had a great one. Small, but fun and great. Perfection. 

And now we are on a cleanse! 21 days long. Perhaps you've heard of it? (We are doing the book version, not the purchased supplement version FYI.) Today: Day 5. Baby steps :)

Being a food-lover, and someone who loves to cook, this one is perfect for me. There are some seriously delicious recipes which I will be sharing with you soon. It's not far from how we normally eat, actually. We're fairly health-minded over here but we also tend to be a bit indulgent, allowing ourselves to eat and drink whatever we wanted, especially the last few months. So its good to hit the restart button every now and then. 

As a thumbnail, we've eliminated all chemicals (ideally), all processed foods, all dairy, all caffeine, all sugar (gasp), all alcohol (sadface). We're still eating some delicious and super nutritious food--including some organic chicken, and lamb and cold-water wild fish (the specifics are kind of exhausting)--so I've yet to be hungry. The only hard part is the emotional one. As in, I want to punch someone for some chocolate. I would have thought wine would have been my weakness but it is, indeed, The Sugar. 

So this is my solution: Hot & Clean Carob & Chocolate Drink and Chocolate Almond Date Balls! (I laughed as I typed that, by the way). It's actually pretty great and I won't go to jail for hitting anybody. 

The recipe for the snack balls (I just keep thinking about that SNL skit) you can find here in that quick little video. I added figs and agave and coconut oil, but otherwise the same. They're delicious and terribly good for your organs and your skin and your brain and your energy levels. 

And! So is the Hot & Clean Drink! I used ground cacao nibs (look for it in health food stores or online like here) which have loads of anti-oxidants (more than blueberries even!), some protein, and most importantly: magnesium. Our bodies don't make it so we have to get it from food and it helps with basically everything including nerve and muscle function but also helps that good mood part of your brain, helps with PMS symptoms (!!), also cholesterol and appetite control, just to name a few. These tiny little cacao nibs are one of the best and most assimilable sources of magnesium around. They are magical little things. 

Here's the ingredients I used:

And here's the recipe:

HOT & CLEAN CAROB AND CHOCOLATE DRINK

mugful of coconut and/or almond milk (I used both)
1 heaping TBS of carob powder
2-3 tsp of raw cacao nib powder
1-2 tsp of agave
dash of pure vanilla extract

• Everything goes in a small pot. Whisk, whisk, whisk til its all combined and warm, almost hot (not boiling). Enjoy your super powers. 

 

Now.

We have lots to catch up on, you and I! While the house is still very much a work-in-progress, some things have finally come together. I was trying to figure out which room to start with but I figured I should start with the rooms I actually started with. Tomorrow I'll begin with the dining room before-and-afters. For now, here's some images of some of my favorite nooks and crannies so far... :)

The Solarium and view of the back yard. 

Antique tea set and the Very Nervous Bird in my work space.

Corner of the buffet, dining room. 

Antique dentistry tools & amethyst in pottery bowl given to me by my mother in law. Vintage Indian side table found at a garage sale. 

Old painting, bird statue on mantle. 

Little wooden dolls "The Newlyweds" made by me.  

Couch and cushions. Middle one (sequins) made by me. 

 

And much more to come, starting tomorrow. But I'd love to leave you with this (and if you follow me on twitter you may have already seen it)--the view from one of our dining room windows just a little bit ago...

Can't even take it. 

Back tomorrow and hope you like navy :)

 

lemon quinoa

This tart and savory dish is one of those things we eat a few times a month around here. I really, really love it. It was inspired by one of my favorite recipes of my mom's which is a lemon fettucini. The fettucini is equally delicious as a side dish or an entree, and the same is true with the quinoa version. I made a few changes when coming up with my quinoa interpretation--for example, the fettucini has parmesan and we just found it wasn't as necessary with the quinoa. But of course you could always add it in if you wanted.

LEMON QUINOA
(serves 4 as a side dish)

1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth or water
3-4 scallions, chopped
handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
juice of one lemon
zest of one lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper to taste

1. In a saucepan, combine the quinoa and either the broth or the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let cook, uncovered about 10 minutes until the quinoa is cooked. You'll know it's done when the grain is more transparent, and the outside sort of "spirals" out from the germ.

2. Meanwhile, in a mixing (or the serving) bowl, combine the lemon juice and zest. Add the cooked quinoa, and stir in the rest of the ingredients, salting and peppering to taste. Can be served warm or at room temperature (or eaten cold out of the fridge).

Also:

• This dish is so versatile and can handle all kinds of additions: toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds; chopped asparagus or snow peas; chick peas or shredded chicken; or over spinach or arugula. 
• The first time I made it was as a side dish with some grilled chicken and it was a wonderful combination. 
• Keeps great and makes a fab lunch the day after. 
• Its actually a protein--more info here--but also very fiber-rich and relatively low in calories. Definitely one of the super foods!

 

  

a delectable shrimp & scallion stirfry

 

The delicious fruits of our labor have begun to come in! You can't see me but I'm squealing and jumping up and down and clapping!  This is the first meal made using the veggies from our garden. I just can't get over that it actually works! That you plant seeds and in a minute, real things like radishes and snow peas and celery start to really happen. Mind-blowing. And of course, it tastes worlds away from what you get at the grocery store. 

I saw this recipe a few months back and have thought about it a bunch since then. Finally, with these sweet little scallions ready to go, the timing was perfect--and it was utterly. Scrumptious. I know I say this every time but it is going to be my new go-to when I wonder what to cook for dinner. Light, so satisfying, healthy and would make great leftovers (which is why next time I'm going to quadruple the batch). It also cooked up super-fast, so it's a good idea to get everything chopped and ready to go. It took about 5 minutes, all told so you have to love that. 

I made a few changes to Martha's recipe:

• I added some chopped asparagus since there were a few left in the garden. It was a good move. Not necessary, but delish. 
• I doubled the garlic. Can't get enough. 
• I added 1-2 TBS of soy sauce at the end and I kinda think that made it. 

This summer has been a busy one for me so far--thus my absences from 'round these parts. Mr. Wood has started training for a new job that is keeping him in Virginia for a couple of months, so I'm here for kitty and garden duties, as well as auditions, and making frequent trips down south to be with him. Lots of comings and goings but I'm taking all my (hand) sewing and art projects on the train trips, and working on all my re-imaginings of thrifted goodies. A few of which I'm pretty excited about! 

But tomorrow: a recipe for what is truly a staple around here--Lemon Quinoa. It's one of my favorite things in the world. And soooooo good for you...so see you then! 

 

not clothes yet! spelt!

Real quick--I couldn't start showing my homemade spring wardrobe just yet because I still had some hand-sewing to do (and its so dark from being amidst the 12-day rain spell/curse). I know I promised to show something I made and I am!

Only its not clothes--its spelt tortillas. 

Amidst my "gloom" the past few weeks, I was at least semi-conscious enough to continue a (partial) quest to figure out the gluten thing. I am NOT allergic to gluten as far as I know, but it seems like the wheat/gluten thing is something that can be generally avoided here and there as a general rule (if you're interested in an example you can go here though there are many others, I'm sure.)

I was slightly concerned about making tortillas for the first time because...well, it was my first time. And clearly, my tortilla-shaping technique has looooong ways to go but I have to say the taste was delightful. They were...nuttier than the average flour version and also heartier. Which I liked. 

They were kinda easy and kinda not. I'm always a wee intimidated by a rolling pin and certainly these are rolled unless you have a tortilla press (which I might just ask for this coming Christmas...). I used this recipe and doubled it so we had a whole other batch in the freezer and as of this afternoon they are all gone--less than a week later! So they were a hit in our house. And I will certainly be making more. 

Ok! Clothes tomorrow! 

a chickpea delight

Well hello, recipe post! It's been a long time. I've been sewing, drawing, and painting more and cooking less. And as much as it may seem like all we eat is soups I promise we eat lots of other things. I definitely have a soft spot for a meal-in-a-bowl as you know if you read this blog regularly, but I think its partially how tough this winter was and how much comfort we were wanting plus the inability to drive to the store last-minute for a jalapeno or coconut milk or any other random ingredient. We spent a lot of time/evening meals "making do" and actually this was just such a meal! Not really planned, mostly stuff we had on hand, and yet super tasty and rich and delicious. 

And we needed it. Considering we were walking into our little local yoga place and it was sleeting!! We looked at each other, jaws dropped, like what?!?! Right now our goal is to live through it. And eat soups.

I should mention that I used homemade chicken stock which I really believe made all the difference. I used Ina's recipe (well, 1/3 of it). And I think it's pretty great. But if you don't have homemade chicken stock, the boxed kind would be fine. 

So obviously I didn't make this up--I've seen some version of this somewhere/somewhat but I can't remember where. So this would be my version of whatever this is...

 

SPICY CHICKPEA KALE AND CHICKEN SAUSAGE SOUP

1 Quart chicken stock (plus 2 cups water & 2 chicken bouillon cubes)
1 large yellow onion
3 TBS olive oil
3-6 garlic loves, chopped
1 package dried chickpeas, soaked for 5 or more hours (like overnight)
2 chicken sausages (casings removed, if applicable and sliced thin)
1/2 large bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped
1 large dried red chile
2 bay leaves
1 TBS plus 2 tsp Cumin
s&p to taste

• Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in large pot or dutch oven over medium heat until the onions are transluscent; 8-10 minutes.
• Add cumin, bay leaves, red chile and dried chick peas and stir everything, coating in the olive oil until fragrant, a minute or two, then add chicken stock and water.
• Bring to a boil. Cover and cook until the beans are almost cooked: about 2 hours. 
• Add the sliced chicken sausage and cook until the beans are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.
• 5 minutes before cooking is done, add chopped kale and stir until wilted and warmed through. Check salt again. 

--If you don't like it too spicy, omit the chile pepper. It was really spicy but we love that.

--If you like your soup less thick (because I like them thick, then just add some more water and more salt, if necessary).  

--Delightful with garlic toast! And also reheats well. We were really in love with this one and will most definitely make it again.